State officials today announced that the state would be distributing 50,000 free drug deactivation kits, purchased using money from the state’s opioid settlement advisory fund. The pouches neutralize the active ingredients in prescription medications, offering families a safe method to dispose of pills that could otherwise be misused.
“This is prevention made simple,” said Kelly Juleson, co-chair of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “We are breaking down barriers to access, meeting people in their homes and giving them a tool that is ready to work whenever they are.”
As part of a five-year initiative, the state will send 50,000 pouches to families across the state every year until 2029, costing “just under $2 million” in total, said Juleson. Last year, 50,000 of these pouches were provided to the greater Hartford and New Haven areas, said Juleson, who believes their distribution helped the state achieve a 26% reduction in overdose deaths this year. The initiative was described as a joint effort of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, a public-private partner organization founded in 1989 for the purpose of substance abuse prevention, and the state’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), the Alcohol and Drug Policy Council, and the state’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.
“This effort is expected to remove more than 2 million pills from potential circulation each year,” said Nancy Navarretta, Commissioner of DMHAS. “That’s 2 million fewer opportunities for misuse and for tragedy. It is one of the most cost effective and accessible prevention strategies we have, and it complements our broader harm reduction and education efforts statewide.”
Juleson described medicine cabinets as potentially “one of the most dangerous places in our home,” as opioids or other narcotic medications are often left unattended, presenting “a real risk to people, to pets, to the environment if they’re improperly disposed of.”
“Unfortunately, two thirds of young people who misuse prescription drugs actually start in their own home or from someone they know,” said Juleson. “Again, that’s two thirds of young people start their misuse from their own medicine cabinets.”
Juleson provided a demonstration for how the pouches worked; users rip off the top, place their unneeded pills inside, add water and reseal the pouches. The water mixes with charcoal contained at the bottom of the pouch to neutralize medications, making them safe to throw away in the trash. Juleson said that homes with children present will be prioritized, and that pouches will include instructions in both English and Spanish, as well as pointers for parents on how to discuss drug and alcohol abuse with their children.
“So today, I invite you to take a simple step, use the pouch, talk to your talk to your children, and be part of the change,” said Juleson. “Because the safest communities aren’t built by chance, they’re built by choice.”
Pouches can be ordered at preventionct.org.
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